Diamond Trivia

The word Carat is thought to be derived from the Carab Bean - an ancient unit of weight.

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Q: Hello Ira, I have been shopping for a loose diamond to mount in a setting for the last 4 months or so. I saw your site and found it incredibly helpful. I have also been monitoring the James Allen site and noticed it is appreciably cheaper than any other site I have found on the Internet. I am switching jobs in the next month, which will allow me to finally move forward with my purchase. To the diamond, my girlfriend really has her heart set on a 1.5ct diamond,has to be , and my budget is proving somewhat constrictive. I already have a setting picked out, and have budgeted roughly $6K for the diamond. Here is the setting I plan on mounting it in. http://design.jared-diamonds.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-5794.asp I was wondering what your suggestion would be, and if maybe I should think about getting a slightly smaller, yet higher quality diamond. I appreciate you help, thanks!

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Categories : Q&A
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Following yesterday’s selection of the best Pear Shape for $20,000, today we move on to the best Pear, Oval, or Marquise for $18,000.  I have skipped $19,000, due to lack of any viable options.

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Shape: Pear

Carats: 2.05

Diamond Color: E

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Measurements: 10.60*6.82*4.68

Length/Width Ratio: 1.55

Depth: 68.6%

Table: 59%

Diamond Polish: Good

Diamond Symmetry: Good

Diamond Fluorescence: Medium Blue

Diamond Price: $18,320

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Categories : Daily Diamond
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Q: Ira,

Your site is excellent!! Plan on doing an online diamond purchase (Blue Nile or James Allen). Not huge $$$, but I am totally obsessed with finding some value out there! And its seems your the guy. So here’s an easy one:

Total budget 9k (USD) for the stone (keeps me around 10k all in)

Parameters: Round. Thats it.

After reading every article you’ve written, I’m cutting you loose. Find me a stone :) summon all your creative powers and make my future wife smile!

As per your writings, color can be low, clarity is hit or miss, carats don’t tell the whole tale. So I don’t want to curtail you. Take some chances, I implore you. Looking for a hidden gem that might escape a less discerning eye. I’m not a stickler for ”grades” and I don’t care what its assessed value is,and don’t mind a singular large flaw that makes an otherwise unaffordable diamond within reach. Just hoping to find a stone that has ”bang for the buck”

(and if you have anything offline available I’d pay the 10% gladly if you made it an offer I can’t refuse, though I understand my purchase price isn’t heavy enough to have you sorting through the whole of Israel)

Thanks for in advance for anything you can do,

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Categories : Q&A
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Here we go again!  It’s always exciting to begin another daily diamond series. After wrapping up our latest “best ” series with a beautiful princess cut diamond for $2000, today we move on to a series which we haven’t yet done here on Truth About Diamonds.

I have decided for this series to lump together the three shapes commonly referred to as the “soft-sided fancy shapes” – the Oval, Marquise, and Pear shaped diamonds.  Just to explain the terminology – any shape that’s not round is called a “fancy” shape.  So to differentiate Ovals, Marquise, and Pears from Princess cuts, Radiants, and Emeralds, they are further broken down into soft-sided and straight-sided.

From a manufacturing perspective that differentiation is important since straight-sided fancies and soft-sided fancies are manufactured from completely different types of diamond rough.  But more importantly for you, the diamond consumer, the differentiation is absolutely crucial.  You see, if you were searching for a straight sided fancy shape diamond and wanted to limit your diamond search to very clean diamonds with high colors, you generally wouldn’t need to see the diamond ahead of time.  You could read the diamond’s measurements from its certificate, and pretty much be able to conceptualize how the diamond will look.  When you’re dealing with 90 degree angles only, it’s easy to explain a diamond using measurements only.

This is not the case at all with the soft-sided fancies.  Nowhere on a certificate does it explain the slope of the curve around an oval.  You can have an oval that almost comes to two points like a marquise, or you could have an oval that looks a little too rounded.  You can have a boxy looking oval that looks like it’s a long radiant just with its corners smoothed out.  None of that will show on a certificate.  There are simply too many measurements that aren’t offered on a certificate relating to get any real understanding of how a soft-sided fancy will look.

So while I always stress that even with rounds it’s very important that you examine a diamond ahead of time (either in person or with a high quality photograph) in order to evaluate a diamond’s clarity, with soft-sided fancies, it’s likewise crucial to examine a diamond to evaluate its cut.

And unlike straight sided fancies, there’s no one thing I could point to to explain how to evaluate a picture of an Oval, Pear or Marquise. You just have to look at it and ask yourself, “does this look beautiful?”

So without further ado, I present the best Oval, Pear or Marquise for $20,000+:

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Shape: Pear

Carats: 2.27

Diamond Color: F

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Measurements: 11.41*7.27*4.18

Length/Width Ratio: 1.57

Depth: 57.5%

Table: 56%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $23,030

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Categories : Daily Diamond
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The good folks at James Allen have decided to change the coupon code that I offer to my readers.  I have attempted to do a universal “search and replace” to change any and all instances of “IRA10″ on this site to “TADJ10″, but you never know how these things work out! If I have been in touch with you via email and have mentioned the coupon code to you, please note the change!

Categories : Blog
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Following yesterday’s selection of the best princess cut diamond for $2,500, today we present you with the best diamond for $2,000.

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 0.78

Diamond Color: E

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Measurements: 5.01*4.97*3.68

Length/Width Ratio: 1.01

Depth: 74.0%

Table: 71%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $2,220

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Categories : Daily Diamond
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Q: Hello, As with alot of people, I been quite overwhelmed with info during my engagement ring shopping experience. Your website is a breath of fresh air. The ring I want is http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-162.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357 I am looking at spending 6000-8000 on the stone. I am basically looking for the best bang for my buck. I am quite flexible with all aspects including shape (maybe a might look nice on this ring – but I guess the safe choice is round type). note: I did order an 1ct F IF triple X from blue nile for close to $12k.. I am currently in the process of returning it after reading your website! I look forward to your advice.

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Categories : Q&A
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Following yesterday’s selection of the best princess cut diamond for $3,000, today we present you with the best diamond for $2,500.

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 0.87

Diamond Color: H

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 5.15*5.10*3.76

Length/Width Ratio: 1.01

Depth: 73.7%

Table: 70%

Diamond Polish: Very Good

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: Faint

Diamond Price: $2,690

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Categories : Daily Diamond
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Q: Hi Ira,

First, great site, I’ve been gleaning information for the past 4 months or so researching diamonds for my upcoming engagement ring purchase. From time to time I look other places but always end up coming back for the quality and truthful insight. I’ve got a budget of $5000 and am looking at going with J.A. because of their return and upgrade policies. I’ve been searching for stones in the 1.10 to 1.30 carat range. I’m looking at this ring and stone in particular:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire-rings/ring/item_57-1906_design.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1274572.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

But was hoping to get a few other suggestions from you. I’ve pretty much been following all of your suggestions on standards for cut, color and clarity and seem to gravitate toward a higher quality polish. My G.F. wants a diamond. Thanks for your help in advance.

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Categories : Q&A
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Following yesterday’s selection of the best princess cut diamond for $4,000, today we present you with the best diamond for $3,000.

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.01

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Measurements: 5.85*5.67*3.92

Length/Width Ratio: 1.03

Depth: 69.2%

Table: 69%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $3,350

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Categories : Daily Diamond
Comments (0)

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